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Alumni: what's one memory from Sierra Preparatory Academy that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
697
Elementary
DISTRICT 530 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SANTA ANA UNIFIED·NCES 063531006007
Sierra Preparatory Academy
2021 North Grand Ave., Santa Ana, CA 92705 · (714) 567-3500 · Orange County
GRADES KG–08ELEMENTARY11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL697 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 13% of California public elementary schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- B+Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
17.3:1
40 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.3:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
94%
656 students
DISTRICT 91% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 56 | 8% |
| Grade 1 | 39 | 6% |
| Grade 2 | 36 | 5% |
| Grade 3 | 44 | 6% |
| Grade 4 | 42 | 6% |
| Grade 5 | 39 | 6% |
| Grade 6 | 129 | 19% |
| Grade 7 | 153 | 22% |
| Grade 8 | 159 | 23% |
This year's kindergarten class (56) is 65% smaller than its 8th grade class (159).
Student demographics
5%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 8% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
22.1%
CA avg 49.1% . +4.1pp since 2014
Math
11.3%
CA avg 37.7% . -1.8pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 22 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 11 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 4 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 2 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 6.3% | 15.8% | 25.4% | 52.5% |
| Math | 5.0% | 6.3% | 16.4% | 72.3% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 22.1% | 11.3% |
| 2023-24 | 17.0% | 9.3% |
| 2022-23 | 16.1% | 8.7% |
| 2021-22 | 17.8% | 6.1% |
| 2018-19 | 18.9% | 8.9% |
| 2017-18 | 14.6% | 10.5% |
| 2016-17 | 19.1% | 9.3% |
| 2015-16 | 20.0% | 11.0% |
| 2014-15 | 18.0% | 13.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
16.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
24.4%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 16% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 24% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Sierra Preparatory Academy
Sierra Preparatory Academy's state test result (16.4% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Preparatory Academy this school | 697 | 94.1% | 16.4% |
| San Miguel Elementary South Gate | 677 | 94.1% | 33.3% |
| Camino Nuevo Charter Academy #2 Los Angeles | 711 | 94.4% | N/A |
| Art Haycox Elementary Oxnard | 724 | 95.0% | 10.4% |
| Jefferson Elementary Lennox | 716 | 93.4% | 45.0% |
| Muscoy Elementary San Bernardino | 670 | 93.4% | 26.1% |
Matched among California elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Sierra Preparatory Academy ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Orange County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 16.4% | #4,859 of 5,151 | #373 of 381 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 11.3% | #4,993 of 5,172 ▲ 51 | #380 of 382 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 22.1% | #4,718 of 5,172 ▲ 213 | #371 of 382 ▲ 5 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +4.7pp | #1,764 of 5,116 | #125 of 381 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 697 | #778 of 5,915 | #55 of 404 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.3:1 | #172 of 5,352 | #13 of 398 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 4.5% | #5,220 of 5,354 | #383 of 398 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 94.1% | #564 of 5,625 | #21 of 400 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.2% | #2,134 of 3,837 | #203 of 324 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
697
+96 (+16%) vs 2020
-33% since 1990-91, when it was 1,041
Student : Teacher
17.3:1
was 20.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 697 | 40.2 | 17.3:1 | 94% (656) |
| 2023-24 | 776 | 42.6 | 18.2:1 | 85% (662) |
| 2022-23 | 742 | 41.5 | 17.9:1 | 80% (595) |
| 2020-21 | 601 | 30 | 20.0:1 | 93% (558) |
| 2017-18 | 812 | 39 | 20.8:1 | 94% (767) |
| 2015-16 | 954 | 44 | 21.7:1 | 97% (929) |
| 2010-11 | 866 | N/A | N/A | 96% (829) |
| 2000-01 | 1,090 | 47 | 23.2:1 | 89% (972) |
| 1990-91 | 1,041 | 44 | 23.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sierra Preparatory Academy.
Since 2017-18: students down 14% (812 to 697); teachers up 3% (39 to 40.2).
About Sierra Preparatory Academy
Students in Santa Ana, California, attend Sierra Preparatory Academy, a medium-sized elementary school. The school's 697 students are in kindergarten through 8. Enrollment is 50% higher than the average for elementary schools in California, which is about 465.
Santa Ana Unified enrolls 35,993 students, and its 51 schools include Sierra Preparatory Academy.
Sierra Preparatory Academy's enrollment is 98% Hispanic. Orange County as a whole is about 34% Hispanic, so the school's share is higher. Sierra Preparatory Academy's diversity index is 5%, against a US figure of 70%.
Sierra Preparatory Academy counts 40.2 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 17.3 students for each one. On average, elementary schools in California have 22.3:1, compared with 17.3:1 here. About 94% of enrolled students meet the income rules for free or reduced-price lunch. It compares with 55% for public schools in Orange County.
Measured against California public elementary schools, Sierra Preparatory Academy receives a D. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Sierra Preparatory Academy's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (16.4%) and its predicted rate (24.4%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of California schools.
Across Orange County, the median household income is $116,289, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 44%, and about 7% of people live in poverty. In all, Orange County has 649 public schools and roughly 430,458 students.
Of nearby public schools, Citrus Springs Charter is the closest, at about 0.2 miles. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Sierra Preparatory Academy. Of 6 schools in the immediate area with test results, Sierra Preparatory Academy ranks 6th on average proficiency.
The school's federal locale classification is City: Large.
Sierra Preparatory Academy's enrollment grew from 601 in 2020-21 to 697 in 2024-25. Federal data show the ratio falling from 20.0:1 to 17.3:1.
Posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs are welcome on this page. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Orange County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
3,165,820
Census ACS
Median income
$116,289
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
44%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
649
430,458 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Santa Ana Unified
- Santa Ana HighHigh · 2,505 students
- Segerstrom HighHigh · 2,376 students
- Valley HighHigh · 1,908 students
- Hector G. GodinezHigh · 1,687 students
- Century HighHigh · 1,519 students
- Saddleback HighHigh · 1,451 students
Other schools in Santa Ana
- Santa Ana HighHigh · 2,505 students
- Segerstrom HighHigh · 2,376 students
- OCSAHigh · 2,346 students
- Foothill HighHigh · 2,126 students
- Valley HighHigh · 1,908 students
- Hector G. GodinezHigh · 1,687 students
Nearby schools
- Citrus Springs Charter0.2 mi · 477
- Ednovate - Legacy College Prep.0.3 mi · 427
- John Muir Fundamental Elementary0.4 mi · 557
- Advanced Learning Academy0.8 mi · 363
- Fairhaven Elementary0.8 mi · 421
- Wallace R. Davis Elementary0.8 mi · 413
Frequently asked questions
About Sierra Preparatory AcademyHow large is Sierra Preparatory Academy?
Sierra Preparatory Academy enrolls approximately 697 students in grades KG-08.
What age range does Sierra Preparatory Academy serve?
Sierra Preparatory Academy serves students from grade KG through grade 08.
How many teachers does Sierra Preparatory Academy have?
Sierra Preparatory Academy employs 40 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.3:1.
How diverse is Sierra Preparatory Academy?
Sierra Preparatory Academy reports a student body of 0% White, 98% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 0% Two or more.
Is Sierra Preparatory Academy public or private?
Sierra Preparatory Academy is a public K-12 school, overseen by Santa Ana Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.